Entertainment: 1990

Chapter 388 Illegitimate Son and Biological Son

[I'm stuck on Chapter Two; this is the last leave request of the month.]

Wang Zhongjun has been in a pretty good mood lately.

After learning that Yuanmeng was under investigation, Wang Shuo's attitude changed as expected. Although he became more critical and nitpicky, as the saying goes, "praise and criticism are the buyers," which actually proved that the deal was not far away.

Haha~
So what if he's a country bumpkin who can cause trouble? Does he really think he can just sit at the dinner table with anyone? If he doesn't know how to keep a low profile, he'll end up sitting at the dinner table himself!

While swaying his head to the Beatles' songs, Wang Zhongjun propped his feet up on his secondhand desk, tapping his thighs lightly with his fingers, looking completely at ease.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Wang Zhongjun knew immediately that his younger brother had arrived, so he put his feet down and adopted a calm and composed demeanor.

A moment later, Wang Zhonglei pushed the door open and came in. Under Wang Zhongjun's gaze, he sat down on the sofa blankly and didn't say a word for a long time, as if he had arrived but his soul hadn't.

Seeing this, Wang Zhongjun frowned and asked, "What's wrong with you? Did you suffer some injustice over there?"

The powerful figure the two brothers clung to was not a good-tempered person; he often took his anger out on others when things didn't go his way.

"No."

Wang Zhonglei slowly shook his head, then his bewildered eyes met Wang Zhongjun's: "Brother, that place that guy opened last year has been investigated."

"Um?!"

Wang Zhongjun sat up straight in surprise: "Who has such audacity?"

"Judging from the tone of the conversation, it seems like the Tianjin side was behind it."

"Tianjin..."

Wang Zhongjun's astonishment deepened: "How is this possible? Just for that country bumpkin... Is there something else going on?"

Wang Zhonglei shook his head again, his brows furrowed and his face grave. "Judging from what that person said, it must be about this matter, and the investigation team is already preparing to withdraw."

"Why? By what right?!"

Wang Zhongjun could no longer sit still; this was all completely unexpected: "Isn't he just a country bumpkin? Could it be... could it be someone's illegitimate child?"

"That shouldn't be the case."

Wang Zhonglei shook his head for the third time, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

According to the brothers' investigation, Zhang Yan was just an ordinary person with nothing to his name. He had only risen to prominence in Tianjin in just three short years. Even if he had made connections with some powerful figures, he was no match for that person.

Why did this suddenly happen...

Seeing that his younger brother couldn't give a clear answer either, Wang Zhongjun got up and paced back and forth a few times. He then said solemnly, "This matter originally had nothing to do with us. You continue to inquire about follow-up information, and ignore everything else."

He is now very grateful, because he was worried that the man would not like being used as a pawn, so the two brothers only spread the word within the circle and did not directly participate in the matter.

So even if this matter blows up, it shouldn't involve Hua Yi.

But how did things turn out this way?

Could Zhang Yan really be an illegitimate child?
Lacking a God's-eye view, Wang Zhongjun could not think of any reasonable explanation other than the illegitimate child—after all, in his understanding, the only one with such power was either his son or his grandson.

But if your children or grandchildren have the same intelligence and talent, why cling to a small dream? Even if they don't go into politics, they should still showcase themselves on a bigger stage!

Wang Zhongjun was completely baffled, but his incomprehension did not prevent the matter from continuing to develop.

Just as the investigation team withdrew completely from Tianjin, Tianjin's subsequent counterattack arrived as expected...

"What? Say that again?!" Still in Huayi's office, Wang Zhongjun's pupils constricted in shock upon hearing the latest news.

Wang Zhonglei swallowed hard and said in a hoarse voice, "That person has been caught red-handed, so he's probably going to be sent abroad."

He paused, then added, "I heard that the investigation team found nothing in Tianjin and even suggested promoting Yuanmeng as a model."

The strong reaction from Tianjin seems to stem from the fact that they see "Realizing Dreams" as a calling card for Tianjin, a pioneer of reform and opening up that needs special attention and support, so…

"Do you believe that?!"

Wang Zhongjun asked in return with a cold face.

Wang Zhonglei fell silent. He didn't really believe it either. Rather than believing that Yuanmeng was some kind of city icon or a pioneer of reform and opening up, he preferred to believe his older brother's guess.

They are children and grandchildren, definitely wild children and grandchildren!

The two brothers looked at each other in silence for a long time. Wang Zhongjun sighed and said, "Go and prepare a generous gift. After Yuanmeng takes over Dingli, we will go to see President Zhang under the pretext of learning from him and getting closer to him."

He paused, then added, "Also, I heard that Mr. Zhang is getting married soon. Could you find out the exact date? We can go to Tianjin to celebrate with him then."

"I see."

Wang Zhonglei agreed and walked out in a daze. He still couldn't accept reality. It was like Mount Tai was pressing down on him, how could it suddenly turn around?
…………

Although they both came from good backgrounds, Han Sanping's understanding and evaluation of this matter were completely different.

When Dong Ping, who had come to him through connections, approached him, he spoke eloquently: "Actually, to get to the root of this matter, we have to start with the current situation in Tianjin. Although it is much better than the situation in Hebei, since the reform and opening up, Tianjin's resources have been shifting and concentrating in Beijing."

Therefore, even though Tianjin has superior basic conditions and a unique geographical environment in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the speed and efficiency of its development are still not satisfactory.

Tianjin's GDP has now fallen to fourth place, while several southern cities are developing rapidly and are likely to be overtaken one after another.

The pressure on Tianjin is immense, yet there seems to be no good way to change the situation.

At this time, Zhang Yan suddenly appeared. He not only did his best to promote Tianjin, but also successfully snatched the Bayi Film and Television Base from the jaws of the tiger in Beijing.

This year, thanks to the August 1st Film and Television Base, Tianjin has also attracted tourism resources from Beijing and film and television resources from Shanghai.

Although this did not have a decisive effect on the overall situation, it was one of the few "turnaround battles" that Tianjin had fought in recent years.

At this time, the person who went to make Yuanmeng's move was seen by Tianjin not just as someone who wanted to reap the benefits, but more as a retaliatory strike by the forces in Beijing. If they didn't fight back hard, who would be willing to contribute to Tianjin in the future?

Ultimately, it was that person who misjudged the situation, viewing Yuanmeng as just an ordinary private enterprise, failing to realize that Yuanmeng had long since, through various means, firmly tied itself to the future of Tianjin.

Upon hearing this, Dong Ping breathed a sigh of relief: "So, Zhang Yan isn't an illegitimate child, but just happened to become a pawn in the power struggle between Beijing and Tianjin."

When Dong Ping first heard about this, he was actually a little panicked. Originally, Yuanmeng had tried to acquire Dingli, but he hadn't taken it too seriously.

But if Zhang Yan really is some illegitimate child, this might be a harbinger of unifying the martial arts world!

In the north, the only privately-owned film and television companies that have received official recognition are Dingli and Huayi.

That's why Dong Ping used his connections to approach Han Sanping, wanting to find out Zhang Yan's background.

“Of course he’s not an illegitimate child, but if things continue like this, he’ll be Tianjin’s biological son!” Han Sanping said enviously. “He has connections above him and isn’t bound by so many rules and regulations. If I could, I’d like to switch places with him.”

You wish!

Dong Ping secretly curled his lip. Zhang Yan has beautiful wives and concubines and is worth hundreds of millions. He has more film crews working on his projects than your Beijing Film Studio. If you were to switch places with him, wouldn't you be just picking up the fruits of his labor?
(End of this chapter)